Two girls were allegedly raped by a 52-year-old ‘witch doctor’ on the pretext of treating them through supernatural means in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday.
The incident took place under Newai police station, added the police. Police have launched a drive to arrest the accused.
“The accused ‘witch doctor’ identified as Arjun Singh (52-year-old) of Rajim area, allegedly exploited two girls sexually on the pretext of treating their illness through supernatural means,” said Station House Officer Jagdish Chandra Mishra.
According to Mishra, during the course of investigation, it came to light that the victim girls were reportedly suffering from some illness which led their parents to approach Arjun Singh, who was residing in her daughter’s house in Newai, for treatment.
As per police, in an excuse of performing some rituals for treating the victims, the accused took the duo to an isolated place and allegedly exploited them sexually. In their statement, the victim girls told police investigators that despite of strong opposition, the accused allegedly raped them by terming the act as part of ritual. Besides, he also threatened them not to reveal the incident before anyone.
He further informed that the crime came to light when the victims narrated their ordeal to parents after reaching home, following which they rushed to police and lodged complaint.
Police have registered two separate cases under section 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and launched a hunt to arrest the accused” added Mishra.